Rpg

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A handheld weapon that launches explosive projectiles designed to cause damage to armored targets ; a type of game system where players assume fictional roles in a narrative setting ; an abbreviation used to denote a role-playing game format in various entertainment media
2. A device used to fire rockets typically for military purposes targeting vehicles or fortifications ; a genre of interactive games involving character development and storytelling ; a common shorthand for games focused on character roles and adventures in fictional worlds
3. A shoulder-launched weapon system employing rocket-propelled munitions primarily against tanks ; a category of games emphasizing character progression through immersive narratives ; an acronym representing role-playing games found in video games, table-top games, or live-action scenarios

Etymology: The most surprising thing about this word is that its two main senses come from separate sources that happen to share the same letters. The weapon sense abbreviates the Russian "ruchnoy protivotankovy granatomyot," meaning roughly "hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher." The English "rocket-propelled grenade" is a later translation that describes the ammunition rather than the launcher. The gaming sense has a different origin. It shortens the ordinary English compound "role-playing game," a term for games in which participants take on characters and develop them through a shared narrative. Because it is an abbreviation rather than a borrowing, it has no single inventor. Players and writers simply adopted the shorter form as the genre name became common.

Synonyms: role-playing game, tabletop game, video RPG, action RPG, adventure game